


Distractions

by bimichaelburnham



Category: Star Trek: Picard
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/F, I wanted to write fluff but it's not in my genetic code, mention of drugs, spoilers for episode 9 & 10 Et Arcardia Ego, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23434243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bimichaelburnham/pseuds/bimichaelburnham
Summary: "The roller coaster of emotions she’d been riding since the last couple of days had finally culminated into a big mess she couldn’t unravel. She needed a distraction."Or, Raffi seeks to distract herself with bourbon but ends up bonding with Seven over a game of Kal-toh instead. Bourbon is still involved.
Relationships: Raffi Musiker/Seven of Nine
Comments: 16
Kudos: 96





	Distractions

**Author's Note:**

> This is not beta'd, any errors are my own but please, feel free to point any glaring mistakes.

Raffi was no stranger to the pain of missing a loved one. She knew the ache dulled as time went on, that life looked a little brighter, felt a bit more interesting to be a part of. It’s the grief she couldn’t bear. She’d figured out ways to numb it, to at least banish it from her mind if not from her heart. Even if it was temporary.

Picard’s death was different. Of course, the pain engulfed her the moment he shared his diagnosis with the crew. But JL loved his boundaries, and God forbid the man showed an ounce of emotion, that made it easier for her to nurse the pain until it wasn’t any more and she broke the one rule he’d asked them all to follow. Now he lay, lifeless, in the lab of a man she did not trust, in the hands of a woman she still wasn’t sure she should. His consciousness had been separated from his body, floating in a computer – or whatever it was his consciousness was supposed to do, the intricacies of the procedure went well over her head. She didn’t want to grieve him before he was truly gone but four excruciatingly long days had passed already without news. She was losing faith he’d ever come back. Agnes had left the ship confident she could, not only, help but also succeed. Rios couldn’t stay idle for too long, although Raffi was pretty sure he mostly followed to stay close to the doctor. Elnor had been here the first couple of days, openly weeping, hugging whoever was the closest to him but he eventually chose to stay in Coppelius for the cat. She hadn’t known him long, but the kid was obsessed with cats.

Raffi found her way into _La Sirena_ ’s mess hall. The roller coaster of emotions she’d been riding since the last couple of days had finally culminated into a big mess she couldn’t unravel. She needed a distraction. Hanging out with the holograms had its perks, they made for a great sounding board when she was trying to solve a problem. With no problem to solve however, they weren’t as effective a distraction as booze. She replicated herself a glass of bourbon which she downed in one gulp before replicating another. Synthetic booze could do the job, but it lacked the distinct burn that she’d come to think of as soothing.

“Bourbon?”

“Neat.” Raffi acquiesced. She should’ve been surprised by Seven’s voice, but the woman had a tendency to roam the ship at night, so she’d sort of come to expect her to appear at any given moment. Another thing they had in common she supposed. She took a sit across from Seven.

“A woman after my own heart.” Seven raised her glass before downing it in one go.

“This,” Raffi gestured between them before raising her glass in return, “is becoming a thing.” She smiled at Seven’s raised eyebrow and took a sip of her drink. Setting her glass back on the table Raffi leaned over to grab the bottle in front of the other woman and refill her glass. “What’s that?” Raffi pointed to the mess of metal rods between them.

“Kal-toh.” Seven said matter of fact. Raffi waited for an explanation, but it didn’t come. She nursed her drink silently instead as the woman across from her pulled a rod out of the structure only to move it somewhere else. She studied Seven without reserve. If Seven had a problem with it, she didn’t voice it. Even when Raffi could see her squirm a bit. Seven kept repeating the movements, the pile of metallic rods slowly formed into a more organized shape. Seven had Raffi’s interest piqued.

“So, you move one of those things and then…what?”

“Those things are called t’an.” Seven looked up from her game and was met with Raffi’s expectant gaze. Seven took a sip of her drink, pulled another t’an from the structure and handed it to her. Raffi absent-mindedly took the piece.

“It’s a Vulcan game.” She resumed playing, moving another piece around followed by another. It went on for a while. Seven moved the pieces without really thinking about it. Raffi looked on intently, studying both the game—in an effort to understand the rules—and the woman she was beginning to find endlessly fascinating.

She spoke again, “You have to move them around,” a smile spread across Seven’s face and she reached for Raffi’s hand guiding her so she could place the last piece, “until the initial shape becomes a sphere.”

Raffi would have been impressed if it weren’t for the sudden light headedness she felt, the one that was definitely not induced by bourbon if the tingling spreading from her hand to the rest of her body was any indication.

Seven stood up, downed the last of her drink and left without another word. Raffi stared at her retreating figure before doing the same thing, only she took the game with her determined to understand it.

** ** **

“ _This_ , relaxes you?” Raffi asked pointedly setting down the game of Kal-toh she’d started the previous night.

“I wondered where that went.” Seven replied with feigned surprise. Raffi would have had the decency to look sheepish had she not been annoyed. Instead she glared at Seven, reached for the glass she was holding and took a swig from it effectively adding insult to injury. Seven only raised an eyebrow at that, seemingly amused.

“You left it here last night, I figured I’d give it a try. Only, _this_ ,” she points to the discarded structure, “is evil! How is this relaxing in any way?”

Seven shrugged, “I never said it was.”

Raffi took another swig of bourbon. Defeated, she slumped on the table. She focused on the game, trying to visualize a way to solve it. Seven moved a piece.

“Your turn.”

They played, each taking a turn, until Seven won.

** ** **

They’d made it to the end of the fairytale, Raffi thought. The part where everyone lived happily ever after. JL was back on his feet, sort of. The ban on the synth was effectively lifted allowing Soji, and now JL, to live a life without fear of persecution. The mission they’d set for themselves was beyond successful. But where were they to go from here? What was she to do now? She hated the end of the fairytale.

Being back on a ship, in space, working with JL had made her feel more alive and focused than she’d had in years. While she still indulged in the occasional drink, she hadn’t partaken in snake leaf since she’d told her son she was clean. She truly wanted to be.

The journey had come to an end. Another loss she had to grieve.

“Don’t bother. I already have the bottle.” Seven sounded just as exhausted as Raffi felt. She wondered for a moment if the woman who’d somehow become a fixture of her life on this ship, felt as lost as she did. She took a sit across from her as she’d done many times and it occurred to her this would most likely be the last time.

“Were you waiting for me?” Raffi teased. She knew Seven would never admit to it, even if it was clear she had. Still, she couldn’t help the smile on her face.

“I just happened to be here.” Seven shrugged.

“Sure.” Raffi nodded amused. “With two empty glasses and the game?”

“This,” Seven motioned between the two of them, “isn’t a thing.” She tried to convince her with little success. The fondness in her eyes and the small smile playing at the corner of her lips told a different story. Seven poured herself a glass and slid the bottle towards Raffi who, in turn, poured herself a drink. They raised their glasses before downing them.

“Oh, babe. It definitely _is_ a thing.” She meant to reach for the empty glass Seven had just set down the table. She hadn’t intended for her fingers to lightly brush her palm.

Any awkwardness she could have felt immediately washed away the moment Seven brushed her fingers. On purpose. The hesitation in the movement had been brief and quickly forgotten as Raffi reached for more. Any surprise she could have felt was drowned the moment their fingers laced together. She’d been so enthralled by the movements of their hands she almost missed the unsteady sigh escaping from her companion.

Raffi leaned a bit more into the touch, her body craving to be closer to her. When she met her eyes, she wasn’t surprised at what she found in them. They’d been dancing around each other long enough.

“It so is a thing.” She grinned when Seven rolled her eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed :)
> 
> You can find me on tumblr where I'm also bimichaelburnham.


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